City gets its first fully ‘green’ building
Sakaal Times: A 100 per cent ‘energy self-reliant’ multi-storeyed housing complex has come up in Pune. The complex is not dependant on electricity from outside. It generates enough ‘green energy’ for all its requirements.
Situated on the Pashan-Baner link road, the Orange County twin-tower complex is especially easy to locate during a power failure – all the 116 flats have power and all the electrically operated amenities are fully functional.
This is possible because of two wind-powered generators and 36 solar panels on the terrace, all indigenously manufactured. At peak output, this hybrid (wind+solar) system can produce 15 kilowatts, or 60 units, of power a day, which is stored in 180 batteries. Only the batteries have been procured from Germany and are expected to last about 10 years. A display panel shows how much power each sub-system in generating at any time.
The ‘green power’ thus generated is sufficient for three tube-lights, two CFLs, two fans, a TV set, a computer and a refrigerator in each of the 106 flats – at a time. And the best part of it is – it is free of cost; but only upto 1.5 amps. So, the moment an A/C, or a microwave, or a washing machine, or any other gadget is switched on, the extra power is drawn from the MSEDCL line. This happens without a blink.
Only a red indicator on a ‘change-over box’ inside the flat lights up to show that you are now consuming “paid power”.
Common amenities like pumps, lifts and lights are also connected to ‘green power’. Sensors switch on the lights after dark and switch them off if no motion is detected for a minute. Of the four lifts, two are gear-less and have weight sensors. All this ensures that no green power is wasted.
Interestingly, the complex has no solar water heating system. Instead, each flat has an insulated storage tank with ‘green’ electrical heater which provides about 150 litres of hot water a day. If you take more, the heater is automatically switched to “paid power”.
To make the complex fully ‘green’, all sewage water is completely recycled using an ancient technology – removal of organic matter by a wild wetland grass species called phragmites australis. The water is good for washing and gardening.
Other thoughtful amenities include ‘green’ charging points for electrical vehicles in the parking lots.
So, are the flats more expensive ? Perhaps Rs one or two lakhs more than conventional flats, but not when you look at the long-term savings in power bills and property tax discounts.
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